Anna Murray Vail
| Anna Murray Vail | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 7, 1863 New York City |
| Died | December 18, 1955 (aged 92) Vieux Logis |
| Resting place | Héricy |
| Fields |
Botany Library science |
| Institutions | New York Botanical Garden |
Anna Murray Vail (7 January 1863 – 18 December 1955) was an American botanist and first librarian of the New York Botanical Garden. She was a student of the Columbia University botanist and geologist Nathaniel Lord Britton, the force behind the founding of the New York Botanical Garden, and was active in its creation.
Anna was born in New York's east side, the first child of David Olyphant Vail and Cornelia Georgina (Nina) Van Rensselear. On her mother's side, she is descended from two of New York's most elite Dutch families, the Van Rensselear and Van Cortlandts. Her great-great-grandfather was General Robert Van Rensselaer, who fought at Ticonderoga during the American Revolution under the orders of his mother's brother in law, General Philip Schuyler. Her younger sister, Cornelia, married Henry Golden Dearth a distinguished American painter.
Her father, David Olyphant Vail, was the son of Benjamin C. and Eliza Ann (née Archer) Vail. David O. Vail's connection to the Olyphant family is through his maternal grandmother, Ann Mckenzie (1782 - 5 Nov 1857). Her first husband was Zeno Archer, whom she married in 1803. Their daughter was Eliza Ann who married Benjamin Vail. Following Zeno's death, Ann McKenzie Archer married David W.C. Olyphant.
David O. Vail is listed as a "merchant" on an 1862 ship manifest and in a Van Rensselaer family history is described as "...resident partner of the house of Olyphant & Company at Shanghai, China." His death notice describes him as being "...lately of China...", but it is not clear where or of what he died in 1865 at age 32. His middle name, Olyphant, and the fact that he worked for Olyphant & Company reflect his connection to that family on his mother's side. Olyphant and Company, founded in 1827 by David WC Olyphant and Charles N. Talbot, was one of the pioneers of the Old China Trade.
Her early education was in Europe but by 1895 she was back in the United States and working at Columbia University with Nathaniel Lord Britton, who with his wife Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, was the founding force behind the New York Botanical Garden. In January 1900, she became the first librarian of the newly founded Bronx institution, a post she held until September 1907. While in New York, she was the author of over a dozen scientific papers (see bibliography). Her notes, preserved in the Archives and Manuscripts collection of the New York Botanical Garden, include sketches of some of the plants she studied.
...
Wikipedia